Launch of Guidance Notes for the Planning and Execution of Geophysical and Geotechnical Ground Investigations for Offshore Renewable Energy Developments

The past few years have seen a proliferation of offshore renewable energy projects including wind, wave and tidal developments. Some of the more significant risks that the developers of such projects face are the hazards and uncertainties that ground conditions present to project development, design, construction and operation. The impact of these risks can be exacerbated by the increasing size and complexity of offshore renewable developments.

The primary sources of information that are used to minimise and mitigate the risks posed by ground conditions and geohazards are complimentary geotechnical (intrusive) and geophysical (remote sensing) methods. To date there has been little guidance on the use of such techniques for investigating ground conditions for an offshore renewable development project. As a result, the offshore site investigation and geotechnics (OSIG) committee of the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT) have produced a set of guidance notes for such investigations. These guidance notes provide advice for the planning and execution of such investigations to developers, stakeholders, consultants and contractors involved in such projects. It is intended that the advice given will enable developers to formulate suitable strategies to mitigate the ground condition risks through the appropriate use of ground investigation methods.

The launch of these guidance notes comprised of a brief introduction to OSIG and the work that it does by its Chairman, Andy Barwise (Gardline Geosciences). This was then followed by a presentation of the guidance notes by the Chairman of the OSIG sub-committee that produced the guidance notes – Mick Cook (MCL Consultancy).

The presentations were followed by a wine and finger buffet reception kindly sponsored by Lloyd’s Register.

Click here for the presentation –  SUT_140714-Offshore-Renewables-Guidance-Notes-Launch

Click here for a the flyer – SUT_140714_OSIG

Click here for a FREE digital download of the Guidance Notes – OSIG-Guidance-Notes-2014_web